Undying Love
by CGreene
Summary: The Ultimate Everthorne Epilogue. The Happily Ever After Gale and Katniss ever-so-much deserve. The following are select scenes from Gale and Katniss's life after the rebellion. I really hope that anyone who's even a little bit a fan of these two characters reads this, and as always, I'd love to know what you think.
1. Chapter 1

This story is the direct epilogue to "Uncovered Passions," but it's ultimately my dream ending for Katniss and Gale, and it's how I envision their future to any story where they end up together. So you don't have to read UP to follow this. All you really need to know is that Katniss and Gale got lost in the woods where the fell in love and conceived a child, and eventually came out and helped lead the rebellion to victory. Their son was born the day the Rebellion ended. His name is Reed Milo Hawthorne, and our story is picking up three and a half years after he was born.

* * *

This story is dedicated first and foremost to my amazing friend, and the most amazing person, Ellenka. I'm so happy I know you - and not the least bit because you indulge my obsessive need to discuss everything everthorne and spoil me with great reviews.

. . .

And, to anyone else who's as caught on Gale and Katniss as Ellenka and I are...I know this might not be quite the ending you imagine, but I hope the happiness they find here is meaningful nonetheless because it's meant a lot to me to write it.

* * *

September 779

(or, about three and a half years after the Rebellion)

* * *

"Daddy!" Reed screamed, nearly tripping over himself and shot down the stairs and into his father's outstretched arms.

"Hey, Kiddo," Gale said as he scooped his son up into a big hug. "How've you been?" he asked as he carried his son into the kitchen to greet Katniss.

"Hey," he said, and she turned around to give him a kiss. Gale put Reed down and embraced her.

Reed pulled at his father's pants, demanding back his attention.

"Dad, I want to tell you what I learned at school today!"

"Yeah, I want to hear all about it," Gale said beaming.

He'd missed his son's first week of preschool. He'd had to go to the Capitol for work, ironically, to champion Twelve's educational program. The Districts were still pretty badly divided in how they did things, and in the three years since the rebellion ended, there was a lot of disparity between the success they were all having.

Coin's presidency had allowed each District a lot of freedom in choosing how they wanted to do and operate things, but it was becoming pretty clear now that some programs were working better than others. She was basing her reelection campaign on programs that would integrate the diverse systems and bring the best ones to all the districts.

Four's transportation systems and new construction had been immensely successful, and the employment programs in Eight had amazing results – to Haymitch's surprise – and Five was making a lot of progress with their renewable energy plan.

Twelve was seeing great results with its educational system that been created, shockingly, by Haymitch, who somehow found himself mayor of Twelve.

"Well god dammit," he told Katniss on the day he was sworn in, "I'd just gotten so used to ordering people around…I don't know how the hell this happened."

She smiled. Leadership suited her old mentor. He still hadn't had a drop to drink since they rebellion had ended, and he'd done a great job organizing all the returning people into gather food, supplies, and rebuilding. He also had the connections with Coin's newly elected government to see Twelve succeed. He was their best choice, she knew it.

"You sure you don't want this gig?" he joked. "You always did like bossing people around."

Katniss smiled. "Nah," she said, looking down at her baby in her arms, "I've found a better job."

Haymitch's educational plan was called _ARENA,_ and it sprung from Haymitch's mentoring experience. Gale liked to joke that Haymitch's only real contribution was the name as he'd spent several days coming up with a title to meet the acronym: Academic Requirements to Educate the Nation's Adolescents.

"You'd be surprised how much and how quick kids can learn when their lives are on the lines," he told the educational board one day.

"We can't endanger the children," a horrified woman told him.

"I'm just saying, these kids aren't going to learn anything unless they see the value to it."

And so _ARENA_ began. It was an integrated process that focused on using the traditional subjects to build real world skills and focused on building relationships between the teachers and their students. Instead of teachers being assigned one class to teach repeatedly year after year, they were assigned one group of students and taught them through the years.

Gale was honorably discharged from the nation's army for his failure to report to duty when Katniss was in labor. He'd turned off his communicuff and missed the numerous orders he'd been given to help fight.

"You know I hate to do this to you," General Piece told him when he turned in his uniform, weapon, and medals. "But we can't make exceptions."

"I'd never ask you to, Sir."

Gale never admitted the dismissal hurt him. He just said he didn't care and wanted to return and help rebuild Twelve anyway. But Katniss could tell it took something out of him to lose the camaraderie and respect he'd earned there.

He and Katniss returned three months after the war ended. Gale first helped with the new construction efforts, building a large part of his and Katniss's house himself, and planning many others. When Haymitch was nominated to be mayor, he told Katniss he'd only do it if Gale helped.

"I'm only doing this if your boy helps me."

"He'll help," Katniss said, knowing full well Gale'd be happy to do it. He was, and he'd since become one of Haymitch's top advisors, overseeing many of the district's new projects.

Katniss, on the other hand, was more than happy to be a stay at home mom, she wanted nothing to do with anyone other than Gale and their son for the first several months of his life. She did, reluctantly however, finally agree to use her good name and celebrity to promote important social programs when Prim kept begging her about a volunteer and donation opportunities she'd been working on in Four.

"Oh please, Katniss, do you know how much attention we'll get if you come?"

Katniss huffed. "People should come because it's an important program, not because of me."

"Yeah, but you know that's not how it works." Prim argued, and sure enough, she was right. Five times more people than expected showed up to Prim's program when Katniss agreed to come.

Prim and Torry decided to remain in Four after the war ended, much to Katniss and her mother's dismay. Anise was visibly upset and ordered her youngest daughter home, but Prim stoutly refused.

"Do you know how many injured people there are out here? This is where I'm needed."

"Prim, you're still a child…"

"I don't care! I'm going to do what needs to be done!"

Katniss had never realized just how alike she and her sister were until that moment. Prim had visited several times, but lived with Torry and his family in Four.

As Katniss sat in her kitchen, she stared down at her personal planner as Reed babbled to his father about his first week at school.

Most of her pages were empty now. They used to be filled with meetings and events. She spoke for Adult Literacy Programs in Ten, the Start You Own Garden Council in Eight, a Clothes Donation service in One…

Now, the only things on her calendar were Rory and Meeda's baby shower and Prim's wedding.

"And I learned a new song at school…" Reed continued.

"You did?" Gale lifted his son into his arms again.

"Yeah!" he said proudly and began to sing, "A bee sees the…elephant, I think." Reed's little face fell and he looked sheepish. "I forget the rest."

Gale frowned and tried to figure out what song his son was trying to sing as Katniss laughed from her seat.

"I forgot to teach our son the ABC's," she confessed and Gale laughed.

"Can I go outside and play with Cooper?" Reed asked. Cooper was their hound dog. Gale'd always wanted a dog, and he'd mentioned getting one several times since they returned to Twelve. Even though Katniss didn't want one, she finally broke down and got one for Gale for his birthday the year before.

Cooper actually turned out to be more of her dog that Gale's. Much to Gale's chagrin, he was gone so often these days that Cooper bonded more with Katniss than him. She even let Cooper sleep in bed with her while Gale was gone. Cooper was also a great companion for Reed and was often his only playmate.

"Yeah," Gale said, "but say in the front where I can see you," he said protectively.

Reed shrieked happily, calling the dog as he rushed outside to play.

"A bee sees the elephant?" Gale laughed as he put his hands around Katniss and kissed her more passionately. He'd missed her.

"Yeah," Katniss laughed. "He knows all the verses of _Deep in the Meadow_ and _The Hanging Tree…"_

"You taught him _The Hanging Tree_?"

"Yeah."

"Katniss, he's three." Gale didn't think that song was appropriate for a child.

"He's almost four," Katniss dismissed. Her father'd taught her that son when she was about Reed's age. She didn't see a problem with it.

Gale just shook his head. "How've you been?" he asked as he opened their fridge and looked for a snack.

"I'm fine," Katniss said as she looked back at her nearly empty calendar before her. "I went and got Meeda and Rory's baby present today."

Gale let out heavy breath. Meeda and Rory were a contentious subject in his family. Rory was the issue more than Meeda. She was actually a very sweet girl, but Rory'd been fired from the two jobs Gale'd gotten him since they moved back to Twelve and he and Meeda weren't married yet. They'd just moved in with Hazelle, and they were driving her crazy.

"Don't forget we're going to that next weekend."

"I know."

"And you better be nice."

"I'll be nice," Gale said, crunching into an apple.

"That means no lecturing your brother or starting any arguments."

"Hey," Gale said suddenly authoritatively, "he's about to be a father. He needs to…"

"No lectures and no arguments," Katniss said with equal authority. "And you have to be nice to Kurt too."

Gale looked at Katniss like she was asking too much. Kurt was a 'friend' of his mother's. Gale didn't have a problem with him until Kurt answered the door to his mother's house one morning in a towel when Gale was dropping off some oil she needed for her radiator.

"Oh, thanks, but I already fixed the radiator for her," Kurt said with a big smile. Gale had to stop himself from punching the man.

Gale told his mother he thought it was "wildly inappropriate" to have Kurt over. Hazelle coldly thanked Gale for his opinion and reminded him that he no longer lived under her roof, and even if he did, he didn't have the right to tell her what to do.

The fight that ensued loomed over the family for two holidays and made for awkward family gatherings. Katniss finally forced Gale to apologize and make up with his mom before Reed's second birthday.

"Apologize!? Are you kidding me?"

"Not even a little."

"She had a strange man in the house. And Posy was in the next room!"

"Gale," Katniss said with her last bit of patience. "Can't you just be happy that your mom's found someone who makes her happy?"

"Of course," Gale said. "That's not the issue."

"Then what is?"

Gale thought it was obvious until Katniss asked him. But he didn't know what to say.

"That's what I thought," Katniss said. "Now, go talk to your mother." She leaned in and kissed him.

"Fine."

"And I want you to invite Kurt to the party too."

Gale huffed.

"He's practically part of the family," Katniss said, "He and your mom have been—"

"Ahh! Stop it! I don't want to know what he and my mom have been doing or where or for how long!"

"You're being ridiculous. What are you going to do when Posy starts dating?"

Gale's look told Katniss he didn't think Posy would ever start dating.

"God, you're lucky we don't have daughters."

. . .

"How's Reed doing in school?" He asked, eager to change the subject and know about his son's first week at school. It really bothered Gale that he'd missed being here for it.

"It's been going really great," Katniss admitted. She'd also been nervous about sending her son away. "He's handling it better than I am." She was really upset about sending her son away, and had spent her first morning alone anxious and distraught. But when she picked him up from school, he was beaming and bubbling about all the fun he'd had learning and playing with other kids.

"He really enjoys it. Playing with the other kids, learning…" She let out a wistful sigh.

Gale came over and kissed her on the top of her head and squeezed her shoulder. He knew how hard it was for her to be apart from Reed. It was hard for him too.

Gale glanced protectively out the window to check on his son who was tossing a ball playfully with the dog.

"There's actually something I wanted to talk to you about," she said, drumming her a pen on her planner.

"Yeah?" Gale asked, still watching their son and taking another bite of his apple.

"What do you think about having another baby?"

Gale nearly choked on his piece of apple and had to knock his chest. He was certain he misheard Katniss.

"What?" he said when he stopped coughing.

"I want to have another baby," Katniss said, turning towards him. "What do you think?"

Gale stared at her blankly. After the birth of Reed, Katniss had made it very clear that she never wanted to have another child. Seeing how arduous the labor was and knowing Katniss had never wanted kids before, Gale never pressed the issues. But he'd always secretly wanted more children.

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah," she said plainly, as if she were simply suggesting what they should have for dinner and not changing their whole lives.

"But…what…" Gale didn't understand what was going on.

"I know I said I didn't want any more…"

"Yeah," Gale said. She'd said that like a thousand times.

"But," she shrugged, dropping her eyes down to the calendar before her. "With Reed starting school…"

"Katniss, I know it's an adjustment now that he's away for a few hours every day…"

"No, Gale, that's not what this is about. On the first day Reed came home from school, Reed was so excited. He was ecstatic. And all because he got to play with other kids."

Gale nodded. Reed's only social interactions were usually limited to Gale, Katniss, both their mothers, and Posy.

"I mean, I asked him how his day was, and he said, 'Mommy, you won't believe it, but I got to play with other kids!'"

Katniss got teary-eyed just thinking about it, and Gale felt his heart ache too.

"And then, he was supposed to draw a picture of his family one day, and he called Cooper his brother." Katniss pointed to the fridge, and Gale found the picture clipped to the side. Sure enough, the word _brother_ was sloppily written above the image of the dog.

Katniss was getting emotional and Gale dropped on his knees by her side. "Hey," he said, taking her face into his hands. "Why don't we think about this for a while…"

"Don't you want more kids?" Katniss said angrily.

"Of course I do. You know I do. But I also know you don't."

"Well, I've changed my mind."

Gale frowned. "As much as I want a bigger family, Katniss, I don't want you to rush into something you don't want or will regret because you're having a hard time being apart from Reed."

"Damn it, Gale," she said getting up and pacing. "Why do you always think I don't know my own mind? This isn't some impulse. I don't want another child because I can't handle being alone in the morning or miss holding a baby. I want another kid because the best part of my childhood was my sister and I want Reed to have that too! I want him to have someone to play with and be his best friend."

"You're serious?" He said, slowly realizing that she was.

"Yes. I've been thinking about this for a while now. When Meeda found out she was pregnant. Now that's Prim's getting married…"

Gale stepped closer to her and looked her in the eyes. "You really want another baby?"

"Yes."

Gale grabbed her and swung her in his arms. Katniss let out a shriek of laughter as Gale kissed her passionately before setting her down on the counter. "Then let's make a baby."

She wrapped her legs around him and kissed him back. "Easy now," she said when she realized just how excited he was getting. "I didn't mean we had to start right now."

"Why not?" Gale said, nuzzling her neck and reaching his hands under her shirt.

Katniss laughed, and took Gale's face into her hands as she pulled him away. As much as he wanted to, he knew they couldn't make love in the kitchen.

But that night, in bed, after they'd put their son to sleep, Gale eagerly picked up where they left off.

"Come here," he said, pulling Katniss to him.

The couple had a very satisfying sex life, but Katniss could practically feel the sparks flying off his skin that night. Maybe it was because he'd been away for two weeks, she thought, but she suspected it was because she was so excited to increase their family.

There was something more exciting about making love for this reason, and she let out a deep moan as Gale slid off her shirt and pulled her into bed with him.

He climbed on top of her, peppering her skin with hot kisses as he slid off his shorts and found her found her breasts.

"What are you doing?"

Reed was standing in their doorway, staring at his parents curiously.

Gale immediately rolled off Katniss as she thrust the sheets up to her chin.

"Are you playing a game?"

"He's your son," Katniss whispered as she pressed her face into Gale's shoulder and stifled a laugh.

Gale grunted and nodded. He threw his legs off the other side of the bed and awkwardly put his shorts back on.

"What are you doing out of bed, buddy?" He asked as he adjusted himself and went over to scoop up his son.

"I don't know," Reed said plainly.

"Well, it's time to go to sleep," Katniss heard Gale say as he carried their son back to his room.

"Are you sure?"

"Yep. Very sure."

Katniss couldn't stop smiling as she lay in bed, listening to her husband read to their son and realizing just how happy she was. She still couldn't believe sometimes that this was her life.

"Now where were we?" Gale asked when he came back into the room.

"Just so you know, I started without you." Katniss said, throwing off the covers and pulling Gale's body back on top of hers.

"So you did." Gale immediately hardened when her felt how wet and hot she was. "You're really sure you want another one of those?" Gale asked through a laugh as his lips found her nipple again and his hands began to do their work.

"Yes," Katniss answered. "Yes!"

* * *

A few more scenes to follow shortly. As always, let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

.

March 780

(or, a little over four years after the rebellion)

* * *

Gale walked home along the path that led to his and Katniss's house. He was returning from another week-stay in the Capitol working on the _ARENA_ education plan, and he was looking forward to being back with his family. He was shocked when he saw his son playing with Cooper by the tree line.

"Reed!" he screamed, immediately running to the little boy and grabbing him in his arms. "You're not allowed to play over here!" Gale sternly told his son, staring at him straight in the eye. "What are you doing this far from the house!?"

Reed knew he was in trouble and looked as his feet. "I don't know, dad," the boy said, tears filling his dark gray eyes.

"Where's your mother?"

"I don't know," Reed gasped, now openly crying.

"Dammit," Gale said, scooping his son up. He knew Katniss wouldn't let their child out of her sight and was trying not to assume the worst. "Cooper, come," Gale yelled at the dog, who was jumped about his feet playfully at his feet as he ran towards their house.

"Katniss!" Gale screamed. He set his son down on the couch and frantically searched the house, his heart threatening to explode out of his chest. "Katniss, where are you? Are you okay?"

Gale heard Katniss crying on the other side of the bathroom door. She was in hysterics.

"Katniss," Gale said, forcing himself to knock softly even though he wanted to bash the door in. "Katniss, I need you to open the door."

She sobbed loudly from the other side, but the door knob clicked and the door cracked open.

Katniss had only had two panic attacks since the end of the rebellion. The first time, she was gripped by a night terror when Reed was about a year old. Luckily Gale was in bed with her, and he was able to wake her and comfort her until she eventually fell back asleep in her arms. She never said what the nightmare was about – or what triggered it – and she was in a bit of a haze for the next few days, though it hadn't happened since.

Her second attack happened when they went to the Capitol as a family. Gale was there on business for Haymitch, and Katniss agreed to go to speak in support of some charity. She'd thought she could go back, but something about being there triggered her.

She disassociated when she went out shopping one day, and Gale didn't find her until after dark. Luckily, her mother had gone with them, and she'd left Reed with Anise. Gale found her after searching for two hours; she was crouched in the corner next to some newly built monument. The monument was located near the old arena, and it'd been built to honor all the lives lost in the Hunger Games. She was practically curled up in a ball and her hands were trembling as they ran over the plaque. She'd run her fingers over Rue's name so many times they were raw.

"Catnip," Gale said quietly as he slowly approached her.

She jumped and stared at him with animal eyes, not comprehending.

"Hey, Catnip, it's okay, it's me."

Katniss blinked a few times and returned to herself.

"Gale…Oh my god, Gale…where am…where's my son!" she shrieked, snapping back into reality.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," he said, folding her into his arms, "he's fine. He's with your mother."

Katniss was freezing cold and trembling, and Gale had to carry her back to their hotel. He wanted her to go home the next day, but she promised she could handle it.

"I'll be fine, Gale," she told him, holding their son's hand. "I won't…I can't…" she said, looking down at Reed. She wasn't going to let anything happen to their son.

Katniss hadn't had an episode since, and Gale had no idea what'd triggered her today as he slowly joined her in the bathroom.

"Hey, Catnip, hey, it's okay," he said softly as he stepped over her and sat on the floor. He pulled Katniss into his lap and held her tightly.

He rocked her gently in his arms and softly stroked her hair. Gale carefully examined her, seeing that she'd cut her hands on something she'd broken on the bathroom floor. There were bits of broken porcelain everywhere.

"Hey, are you alright? What's wrong, Catnip?"

He wiped the tears from her eyes and she slowly began to focus.

"Gale?" her voice sounded distant and uncertain.

"Yeah, Catnip, it's me. How are you doing?"

"Oh, um, I'm fine," she said, immediately pulling herself up and trying to make things seem normal. She brushed the broken porcelain behind the toilet and tried to smooth her hair and straighten her clothes. "I'm…um…it's…Reed," she said, saying her son's name seemed to bring her a bit of clarity, "he's just downstairs…"

But when she lifted her eyes to meet Gale's, she couldn't bear to look at him. She realized she didn't know where her son was. Tears immediately began dripping down her cheeks and she started shaking.

"Reed's fine, Katniss, you're right, he is just downstairs playing." Gale kissed her forehead and held her tight. He didn't tell Katniss that their son had wandered from the house, but he made a mental note to give Reed a stern talking to.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. He's fine. How are you?"

"I'm…um…I'm okay…I, uh, I went to the store today…"

"Yeah?" Gale said brightly.

"Yeah. I wanted to get the, uh, the gift for Prim's baby shower. We've got to go to that, you know…" her eyes immediately dropped to the broken shards on the floor.

Prim's baby shower was currently the only event on Katniss's calendar. She'd turned 18 the previous September and had married Torry that October. She'd recently told her family that she was not only pregnant, but expecting twins.

"Yeah, I wanted to get her something nice, you know, because…"

It took a lot of coaxing, but Gale eventually got Katniss to explain that she'd starting crying at the baby store. For no apparent reason. She saw this porcelain figurine of a family with a mom, a dad, and their two kids – a boy and a girl. She saw it and was overcome. And Katniss wasn't one to normally be overcome by such things. But she and Gale had been trying to get pregnant for almost six months now. At first, they were really just having fun. Katniss had foolishly expected to get pregnant immediately and was shocked when she didn't. She had to learn to track her cycle and calculate her most fertile time of the month.

When she saw that statue and started crying, she was convinced she was being hormonal, and that that meant she was pregnant. She bought the figurine and immediately went to purchase a pregnancy test.

"But the test was negative," she explained.

Gale nodded as he listened. He knew how badly she wanted to have a child. He saw it in her eyes when she held Meeda and Rory's baby – a little boy named Gem – and again when Prim announced her pregnancy. But Gale had no idea she was this bad.

Katniss felt lost and purposeless. Her identity as _mother_ had come to define her, and now she felt like she was failing at that.

He cursed himself for being gone so often. His work had recently been taking him to the Capitol for about five days a month, but sometimes, a little longer. He'd been so busy, he hadn't noticed how alone Katniss was with everyone gone and how desperate she'd gotten with nothing to do.

Gale held her in his arms until she stopped shaking and crying. He then turned on the tap, drew a hot bath for her.

"I'm sorry, Gale," she said as he helped undress her.

"Don't be."

"I was a bad mom," she said with a sob. "I'm not…I think that's why…"

She started crying quietly again, and her breakdown finally made sense.

"Hey, Katniss, that's not true at all. You're a great mom, do you hear me? Reed loves you. I love you, okay? We all love you, so much, okay?"

Katniss could only nod as Gale helped her into the tub.

Gale let Katniss bathe and went to cook dinner for his son. Reed was still downstairs watching TV with the dog, and Gale asked Reed if he wanted to sleep in bed with his parents that night. He thought it might be good for Katniss.

"Can Cooper come too?" Reed asked as he scooped his potatoes.

"Yeah," Gale said with a small laugh.

When he'd gotten the dog, he'd had great dreams of it being his hunting companion. Cooper was going to be well trained, obedient, listen to Gale's every command. He was supposed to be the kind of dog who knew how to fetch fallen geese and slept outside.

But the truth was that Gale was lucky if he got the dog to sit, and he slept every night in either Katniss's bed or Reed's.

"Cooper can come too."

When Gale helped Katniss into bed that night, Reed came to his parents' room just like his father told him too.

"Are you sad, Mommy?" he asked as he climbed into bed and into her arms.

Katniss shook her head and held him fiercely. "I'm not sad, baby," she said, kissing his head.

"Okay. I love you, Mommy," Reed said, nuzzling into her chest.

Silent tears began to stream down Katniss's cheeks.

"And Cooper loves you too," Reed said as the dog jumped into the bed.

And Katniss let out a small laugh, letting the dog lick her.

It was moments like this that made Gale realize they didn't need to have another baby—their family was already perfect.

Gale immediately took leave from work. He told Haymitch that he needed time off and could no longer spend so much time in the Capitol. Haymitch grumbled and complained, but understood.

In the weeks that followed, Gale worked from home and spent a lot of time with his family. But it was finally time for him to go back to the Capitol. He planned something special for just Katniss and him the weekend before had to leave.

"Reed, are you ready?"

"Yeah, Dad!" Reed was standing next to the door with Cooper on his leash.

"Where's your bag?"

"Oh, I don't know, Dad."

"It's in your room, go get it."

"Katniss, are you ready?"

"Of course I'm ready," she said. Gale hadn't told her what they were doing or let her help pack. All she had to do that morning was get dressed.

Gale packed their bags, and they dropped Reed off at his mother's.

"Bye, baby," Katniss said, folding into a big hug with a kiss.

"Bye, Mom, bye Dad!" he said, excitedly running into his grandma's house.

"Alright, Gale, are you going to tell me what we're doing now?" Katniss asked, walking back to their car.

"Nope," he said with a mischievous smile, taking her hand.

They didn't stop at the car and kept walking. Katniss started at him curiously, but she quickly realized what they were doing. They were going out into the woods.

They'd gone several times since returning to Twelve, but it'd been time. It was strange, not having to sneak through the fence – which had long since been torn down – and when they first came out, Katniss spent most of her time anxiously wanting to return to Reed. Gale'd taken Cooper out a few times when he first got him, but his training quickly proved fruitless as it was too irregular.

Now that Reed was older, they often took short walks with him and the dog by their house, but it'd been a very long time since they'd ventured deep into the woods and visited their old hunting grounds.

Katniss smiled when Gale pulled a bow from one of their old hiding sites. It was a new bow, and he must have snuck out recently to stash it there. It felt both good and strange to have it in her fingers again.

They took turns practicing. They were both lousy.

"God, look at us. Sorry excuses for hunters now, hunh?" she said with a smile. It didn't really bother her that much, and Katniss was still a pretty good shot, even if she wasn't anywhere near her old capabilities.

They wandered through the woods, hardly talking, but the sun brightened their faces and wind tickled their hair. By lunch time, they'd made it to their old spot, and Katniss stretched out on the rock as Gale prepared their meal. They ate blackberries they'd gathered and bits of bread he'd brought.

"God, it's so strange to be back here," she said.

"Yeah?" Gale asked, self-conscious she wasn't liking it. He'd hoped it was nice, not strange.

"Yeah, I mean…it's just like…it's like nothing's changed out here. But so much has, hasn't it?"

"Some things have changed," Gale agreed, but he reached out for Katniss's hand, and they both knew that somethings hadn't. Whatever the world had thrown at them, the one thing that hadn't changed: they still had each other and always would.

After their lunch, they ventured deeper into the forest, and they realized a few others things had changed too. When they stopped for a drink at one of the streams, Gale found a bottle clogged in one of the eddies. He frowned and picked it up to dispose of properly back in Twelve, but as they kept walking, they found more litter. A few food wrappers and discarded items.

They no longer had the woods to themselves.

Then, when they reached the cabin by the lake – the one Katniss's father had shown her and the one where they'd first made love – they discovered it trashed.

Katniss stopped in shock. There were broken bottles, bits of plastic, and molding blankets that'd been left too long in the rain. The walls had been scrawled with obscenities and other graffiti, and the shingles, shutters, and other parts of wood had been broken off and thrown into a campfire.

Katniss stared down into its ashes as if she were looking at a corpse.

"Gale…" she said, grabbing his hand.

Gale looked on angrily.

"I'll find out who did this," he told her solemnly, betting that Vick knew what teens would come out here and do this. "I'll make it right."

Katniss couldn't process what Gale was saying right then, she wasn't thinking about what needed to be done, or how to fix it. All she could think about was how this place that was so important to her had been ruined, and she couldn't face it.

"Let's go," she said, turning to walk away. "I don't want to…let's not stay here."

Gale didn't say a word and followed her. He heart was brewing with anger. He'd wanted so badly to give Katniss a nice weekend in the woods. To return to a place where things were simple and pure—a place where they'd always been happy.

"Katniss, I'm really sorry," Gale said as they walked in their front door. They'd walked all the way back to their house, and it was very late at night.

"It's okay, Gale," Katniss said. She knew it wasn't his fault. He had no idea.

"I know, but I wanted to…"

"You did," she said, grabbing him and kissing him deeply. She appreciated that he wanted to do something nice for her; it meant a lot. And when her pain and anger settled from seeing the woods that way, she was actually grateful Gale had taken her out there—because she wouldn't have known this was happening if he didn't. And she couldn't fix it if she didn't know.

. . .

Gale returned from the Capitol a week later. He slowly walked up the path to their house, exhausted from the meetings he'd been to about the education plan. He'd met with several officials and advisers, and spent most of his time listening to them argue about what they wanted to do and why the others were wrong.

"Hey, Gale, is that you?" Katniss said as she heard him enter their house.

"Yeah, it's me," Gale said. Reed and Cooper came rushing down the stairs towards him. "Hey, Kiddo," he said, picked his son up. "Cooper, down," he annoyedly swatted at the dog who kept jumping up at him. Gale made a mental note to spend more time training him, but right now, he just wanted food. He put his son down and went into the kitchen.

"I left a plate for you in the fridge," Katniss called from the other room.

"Perfect," Gale said, pulling the food out and heating it up.

"How was your week?"

"Long," he said as he stiffed a yawn. "Oh, you'll never guess who I met with."

"Who?"

"Johanna Mason."

"What was she doing there? Doesn't she have a house with Lagan in Four?"

"She had a house. It burned down."

"What? Is she okay?"

"Oh, she's fine. She's the one who burned it down, actually."

"What?"

"Yeah. She was made at Corsair about something, so she burned down their house," Gale said wearily as the microwave beeped. "Anyway, she's since moved to the Capitol and wants to be part of the Literacy Council."

"What?"

"Yeah. Apparently, she likes books," he said, setting his plate down next to her on the dining room table. She was sitting there going over some papers. "Hey," he said, leaning in to kiss her. "Hey, Plutarch," he said as Heavensbee walked in and sat at the table.

"Oh my god, Katniss, that soap you have in your bathroom is absolutely divine. You must tell me where you got it."

"Gale's mom makes it," Katniss said, handing him another sheet of paper.

Gale's spoon had stopped a few inches of his mouth, which was still hanging open, as he watched the scene before him.

"That's incredible," he said, waving to Gale.

"I can get you some if you want."

"That'd be simply marvelous."

"Katniss, why is Heavensbee in our house?"

"He's helping me," she said without looking up from her papers.

"Helping you? Helping you do what?"

"It's the most marvelous plan, actually," Plutarch said, getting excited. He got up and handed Gale some papers. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you this, but your wife truly is incredible."

"Yeah, I know," Gale said, even though he didn't have the faintest idea what was going on.

He put his fork down before even taking a bite and tried to figure out what they were up to.

Plutarch explained that Katniss had come to him with a plan to protect the nation's forest and natural resources. She'd done some research on her own, and found out that none of the Districts had any laws in place to do this.

Since there were programs in place that were decentralizing the jobs in each district, large tracts of forest were being cut down to make way for farmland all across Panem, and as new factories were being built in places like Four, Nine, Ten, and Eleven, pollutants and contaminants were entering the environment unchecked.

Katniss was horrified when she found this out. She immediately reached out to everyone she knew. Haymitch, Cinna, Corsair, Finnick, Johanna, Beetee, Heavensbee. Everyone agreed to help except for Johanna.

"You mean you don't want to cut down the trees? Why wouldn't you want to cut down the trees?" Johanna asked, "Oh, hey, have you heard anything from Lagan recently?"

She and Plutarch had been working on starting an organization to lobby for environmental laws.

"Were going to call it 'Evergreen'" Plutarch said, eyes sparkling and very pleased with himself. "See, that sounds like 'Everdeen' so people will easily associate it with Katniss…"

"Oh, I got it," Gale said even though he still wasn't sure what to make of everything before him.

"Look at this," Katniss said, tossing a sheet to Plutarch. "Those are the contaminates in the waters at Four. Look at those levels of mercury! The government knows about this and they're doing nothing! People eat the fish from those waters!" She was incensed. "I bet with can get Lagan and Finnick to help us there."

"Oh absolutely," Plutarch agreed. "You know," he said back to Gale with sparkling eyes, "this working to help people is actually kind of fun!"

"Yeah…"

. . .

In the weeks that followed, Katniss got Haymitch to agree to protect a large portion of forest around Twelve. They had a huge, televised ceremony to dedicate it where Katniss spoke passionately about the importance of protecting their land and resources to ensure a better world, not only for themselves, but for their children. She said this as Reed stood next to her – a move that Gale had some reservations about but eventually agreed to. It proved to be worthwhile as the ceremony drew a lot of attention to her cause, and she followed it with a tour around the country, and even interviewed with Caesar Flickerman's on his new show – somehow he'd survived the Rebellion and managed to salvage his career – to draw more attention to the pollution and deforestation problems now facing the country.

Katniss was energized, excited, alive. She was passionate and purposeful, and Gale hadn't seen her like this for a long time. Even though it was hard because she was bringing some media attention back to their family, and he and she had to seriously negotiate their busy schedules to care for their son, they were happy and doing what they loved.

In the wake of her efforts, the people of several districts demanded that their local governments begin efforts to protect the environment and stop polluting. Katniss was headed to the Capitol that August on her second tour to help lead the First National Environmental Protection Council when she discovered she was pregnant with her second child.


	3. Chapter 3

Hi All! I'm trying to get this out quickly to help us all as we deal with the end of Mockingjay 2. I hope this serves as a sort of antidote. I know I'm condensing a lot into a few scenes and trying to wrap up a lot of character's stories. I'd particularly like to know if there are any details you all like about my characterization of these minor characters that you like or find meaningful (or funny or whatever)...or would some people prefer I just cut it all out and focus on Gale and Katniss?

* * *

.

March 781

(or, five years and a bit after the rebellion)

* * *

With the improved technology that had been brought to Twelve since the Rebellion, Anise was able to tell her daughter and son-in-law that they were having a baby girl.

They were both ecstatic. Gale would have been happy no matter what, but Katniss secretly wanted a little girl. Happy tears streamed down her cheeks as she looked at the sonogram photo.

"So, is that little baby Iris?" Gale asked, remembering that was the name Katniss had chosen when they thought Reed was a girl.

Katniss shook her head. She explained that she didn't feel right reusing that name. Gale wanted to disagree, and braced himself for the seemingly endless discussions they'd again have to have to come up with a name for their new child.

But that didn't happen. Katniss had already found another name she loved.

"It's a symbol for victory," Katniss told Gale, "and since we wanted this so badly, I just thought it was fitting," she said, holding her large stomach. "Do you like it?"

"I love it," Gale said, and he kissed her deeply.

Laurel Marrow Hawthorne was born March 5, 781. Katniss's first labor took so long, she hardly paid any mind when she first began having contractions that morning, expecting the process to stretch on for hours and hours like it did with Reed. But by noon, she knew without a doubt that the baby was coming, and it was coming soon.

Katniss immediately called Gale and her mother. Gale rushed home in a panic, and by the time Anise got there, the baby was already crowning, and she delivered her in their home.

Laurel was an adorable baby. Her eyes were big, round, and flecked with brown, and her hair was a few shades lighter than her parents'. Hazelle called this the "Beecher Brown" and said it came from her side, but since Katniss's mom and sister were blondes, she wasn't so sure, but everyone agreed that Laurel was the most adorable baby they'd ever seen.

But she was also the most difficult baby they'd ever seen. Laurel screamed and cried almost constantly, and she never calmed down unless he was being held.

When Reed was little, Katniss sometimes thought it was as if he knew he was born in a warzone. He was silent, hardly ever making a sound, and slept most of the time. It was as if he knew his parents were exhausted, as if he knew he should start any more problems.

Katniss loved Reed's infancy, and while she did love her daughter, she couldn't say the same.

With Laurel, Katniss sometimes thought it was as if she knew how badly she was wanted. As if she was forged in Katniss's desperate desire to have a child, and that desperation created her need for constant attention.

When Katniss thought about it as a sort of mutual bond she and her daughter shared, it was kind of sweet. But the truth was, Laurel was a nightmare. She cried constantly and would shriek her head off if she wasn't being held by Gale or Katniss. She wouldn't even sleep unless she was in their arms.

She hardly got any better as her first months passed. Katniss had to take an indefinite break from the Everdeen Initiative, and Gale'd nearly exhausted his coworkers' generosity in taking time off. Laurel was so fussy, even Hazelle didn't like babysitting her—and she was usually the most doting grandmother.

"We're never having another baby," Katniss told Gale one morning as he tried to find a clean shirt.

He just nodded, too exhausted to talk.

"Can you pack Reed's lunch?" she said as she rocked Laurel in her arms.

"Um, yeah," Gale said with foggy eyes.

Sometimes, Katniss was jealous Gale to go to work and take a break for caring for their children, but on days like this one, she realized it was no break at all.

Gale leaned in to kiss Katniss goodbye but missed her cheek completely.

"Gale," Katniss said as he started to leave the room.

"Hunh?"

"You need pants."

Gale's shirt and tie were on. But he was naked waist down.

"Oh," he said hollowly as he turned to find a pair.

Katniss tried every remedy and trick her mother suggested, but nothing seemed to work. Anise had never known such a needy baby. She was only happy if someone was holding her. But when someone was, she smiled and cooed and beamed like the happiest child in the world.

"I just don't know what to do, Mom," Katniss told her mother. Both she and Laurel were in tears. Laurel was teething now and very unhappy about it. She wanted the whole world to know.

Katniss tried to speak over her wailing. "I don't think Gale or I have slept for more than two hours a night since she's been born…and I don't even know how this is affecting Reed…" she said as she rocked the baby back and forth.

"I'm fine, Mom," he peeped. Reed was sitting on the couch with Gale. Gale'd been reading him a book, but he'd fallen asleep. Reed didn't seem to mind and just flipped through the book himself. "I sure do wish she'd stop crying so much though," he added, but nobody heard him over his sister's screams.

"Here," Anise said, "give the baby to me."

Katniss passed Laurel to her mother, and the baby immediately started shrieking louder.

Gale jumped away and looked alarmed for a moment and then just shook his head.

Anise carried the baby out of the room.

"What are you doing?" Katniss asked.

"I'm putting her in her crib."

Katniss anxiously sat next to Gale and waited for silence. For her mother's magic trick that would make her baby stop crying.

But Laurel kept shrieking and Anise returned to the room.

"You left her?" Katniss asked, horrified.

"Yes dear," Anise said plainly as she sat down and took a sip of tea.

"But she's still crying!"

"And she'd still be crying if she were in your arms too."

Gale nodded, that made perfect sense to him, but Katniss couldn't bear it. All she could hear was her daughter saying: _help! I need you! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!_

Katniss jumped up.

"Katniss, she's fine," Anise assured her.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes dear," Anise said, taking another sip of tea, "I did it with you and Prim all the time."

That was the only confirmation Katniss needed. She immediately bolted from the room and scooped her daughter up and held her close to her chest.

When Laurel quieted, Katniss knew her heart that she'd done the right thing. And when she eventually started to howl again, Katniss reminded herself that she'd survived worse things.

. . .

Katniss had to beg Hazelle to watch Laurel so she could spend an afternoon with Reed while Gale was in the Capitol. Katniss had hardly spent any time with her son since the baby's birth, and she felt bad about it.

"Come on, you're so good with her," Katniss tried to butter her up.

Hazelle sighed heavily, but Laurel looked so cute sleeping in Katniss's arms. Hazelle just had to hold her.

"Oh, okay…"

Katniss carefully handed the baby over and left quickly before Laurel awoke and started screaming.

Katniss was excited to spend the afternoon with her son. She worried sometimes about how the baby was affecting him. When she and Gale first told him he was going to have a baby brother or sister, he was tremendously excited. But then Laurel was born, he said, "you mean she's not a puppy? I thought she was going to be a dog like Cooper." Katniss never was quite sure what to make of that.

But since Laurel was so difficult, Katniss sometimes felt like she was neglecting her firstborn.

"What do you want to do today," she asked him brightly after leaving Laurel with her mom.

"Oh, I don't know, Mom."

"Well, we can do anything you want," she said with a smile. "It's just you and me."

"Oh, wow, okay. Can I play with Cooper, then?"

Katniss was a little crestfallen. Reed played with Cooper every day. But she didn't question her son, and sat on the porch and happily and watched him play. She might have even dozed off a bit.

. . .

Gale had to start going to the Capitol more often for work. He'd slacked off a lot at his job since the baby'd being born. Haymitch had been incredibly generous. He came over for dinner about once a week, and he knew what Gale and Katniss were going through.

"God damn, Hawthorne, you weren't kidding, were you?" Haymitch said the first night he was over after Laurel's birth.

"No."

"That's some set of lungs."

"Yeah."

"Aww," Haymitch cooed as he approached her, "she just wants all the attention, doesn't she? Must get that from her mama," Haymitch laughed.

Katniss shot him a look that could have killed.

Katniss told Gale she'd be fine with the kids while he was in the Capitol. But things were harder than she thought they'd be with him gone. Laurel became even fussier.

"Oh, it's okay, little love," she said as she rocked Laurel in her arms one night when she refused to sleep. "You just miss your daddy, don't you?"

Laurel let out a gargled wail of confirmation.

"Yeah, I miss him too," Katniss said, patting her back as she swayed. Her feet felt like they were made of lead it was so hard for her to move and her back had never felt more stiff.

"Hey mom," Reed said from her doorway.

"Reed, I told you to go to bed."

"Oh, I know mom."

"Then why aren't you in bed?" she said sternly. She just wasn't in the mood that night.

"Well, I, uh, I was just wondering if I could have something to eat, Mom."

Katniss was about to snap and tell him he didn't need a snack before going to bed when she realized—she'd forgotten to feed her son dinner.

She felt heart cracking. "Oh, baby, of course!" she said, leaving Laurel crying in her crib and rushing to cook him dinner.

"I think three sandwiches is enough, Mom," Reed finally said and Katniss put another grilled cheese on his plate.

"Are you sure?" She couldn't believe she forgot to feed him dinner.

"Yeah, Mom, I'm sure. Do you want some?" he said sweetly pushed the plate to her. There were still three sandwich halves left.

Katniss loved her son so much, she thought as she took a bite. Laurel was still shrieking in the background. She'd be lying if she said she always felt the same about her daughter.

. . .

Gale and Katniss were so used to hearing Laurel shriek at midnight, they both habitually got up.

"It's your turn," Katniss said, knocking Gale in the face with her hand.

"Okay," Gale said, beginning to move. But then he realized something. "Do you hear that?"

"No," Katniss said, as she pushed herself up. Laurel was also a very hungry baby, and Katniss had to feed her several times a day.

"That's my point, Katniss, listen."

Katniss's brain slowly began to function and she realized. "Oh my god!" she clasped her hands to her mouth. "What time is it?"

"It's past midnight," Gale told her.

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah," Gale said, relief washing over him.

Katniss's body flooded with joy. She was so happy, she threw herself on Gale and kissed him. "She's actually still sleeping!"

"Yeah," Gale said, pulling her into another kiss. But this one was no longer celebratory. The couple hadn't been intimate since Laurel's birth and their bodies were remembering how much they missed each other.

Katniss pressed herself tightly against Gale as her tongue entered his mouth. His hands ravenously explored her skin.

"Katniss, do you, uh, do you want to…"

"Yes," she said immediately. She really wanted to. "We just have to be quiet," she told him, not willing to risk anything that might wake the baby.

Gale gave her a pointed look. _Was she really telling him to be quiet?_

She just giggled softly. "And remember to be gentle," she told him as he began to kiss her neck.

He nodded into her skin already remembering this. They both recalled the first time they'd made love after Reed's birth—it was awkward. Gale was so excited, he'd squeezed Katniss's breasts too hard and got a face full of breastmilk. Katniss was mortified, but Gale just laughed.

"I should have seen that coming," he said as he toweled himself off.

"I'm so sorry," she said, burying her face in her hands.

"Don't be," Gale took her softly and gently caressing.

Her skin sizzled at his touch, and she loved how he was able to make her feel comfortable and not embarrassed about her body's changes. The sex was a bit uncomfortable, but Gale was slow and tender.

Katniss was expecting it to feel the same this time, but surprisingly, it didn't. It felt amazing, and when they finished, they clung lovingly to one another and quickly feel asleep. They slept solidly through the rest of the night.

Laurel slept through the night from then. Instead of gradually increasing her sleep time, she went from sleeping for no more than three hours at a time to sleeping for a straight eight. Katniss and Gale didn't understand it, but they didn't complain.

"She's got a mind of her own, I guess," Katniss told her mother one morning at breakfast.

"I wonder where she gets that from," Anise remarked, and both Gale and Katniss laughed.

"She probably finally just got tired from all the screaming," Reed said, missing the joke. "It was bound to happen sooner or later."

Katniss came over and kissed his head.

. . .

Prim and her family came to visit Twelve for Reed's birthday that year.

In Katniss's kitchen, Prim gushed about her babies. Berry and Bonnie were a year and a half old now, and Katniss could tell her sister just loved everything about motherhood.

"I was so sad when they had to stop breastfeeding," Prim said, looking at Laurel who was actually sitting quietly in her highchair. They'd been making a lot of progress recently.

Katniss stared at her daughter severely and nodded. Laurel had recently gotten in the habit of biting Katniss when she fed, and Katniss was considering weening her.

But Katniss had loved breastfeeding before that. She decided to focus on that. "Yeah, I loved it too."

"Torry and I are starting to talk about having another."

"Really?" Prim didn't notice her sister's tone.

"Yeah. I mean, they twins aren't even two yet, but it's just been so much fun with them. And everyone says it just gets easier and easier with each baby."

"That's not true," Katniss said with a bark before she could stop herself.

Prim looked confused.

"Sorry," Katniss said, still never wanting to expose her sister to anything that might hurt her—even if it was the truth. "Laurel's just been…a difficult baby."

"Yeah." Prim'd heard all the horror stories. "But look how cute she is!"

Katniss couldn't deny it. Laurel was incredibly cute.

"Yeah. I'm so over this baby stuff."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Katniss said more confidently. "Does that really surprise you?"

"Well…" Prim thought. It honestly didn't. She knew Katniss wasn't really a mushy person. "I guess I'm just surprised that you're having another baby."

"What are you talking about?" Katniss said like she'd been accused of something awful.

"Katniss, you're pregnant."

"No I'm not!" she knew she hadn't lost all the baby weight yet, but she didn't look that bad, she thought, suddenly growing self-conscious.

"Katniss," her sister said with gently smile, "I've been working in a maternity ward for years now. I know a pregnant woman when I see one."

"I'm not pregnant, Prim."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure!"

"When was your last cycle?"

Katniss blushed and grew uncomfortable. Even though her sister was a nurse and a mother now, she had a hard time not thinking of her as her kid sister. But then she also realized that she hadn't had her cycle in a while. But her periods were irregular at first after having a baby…

Prim had to stop herself from smiling, she could read her sister's expression.

"No, Prim, I'm telling you, it's not possible," she said frantically, "we haven't had sex…"

"You must have had sex…"

"Only once!"

"That's all it takes," Prim said with a bit of a laugh. She wasn't making fun of her sister, but did find it funny.

"But I've been breastfeeding."

"That's not a full proof birth control method, Katniss," Prim said, reaching out to her sister sympathetically.

Prim had heard from their mother that Gale and Katniss were having a hard time with the new baby, but Prim honestly felt bad seeing her sister's reaction now. Prim thought the news of another child was nothing but joyful, but she could see in her sister's eyes that wasn't the case.

"Oh, Katniss, it'll be okay," she said.

But Katniss just got up and left the kitchen. She told Gale she needed to pick up more supplies for Reed's party, but she went out and immediately bought a pregnancy test and took it in the store's bathroom.

Sure enough, she was pregnant.

Katniss felt a wave of sickness hit her and she got sweaty and nauseous. She only felt like she might throw up.

She sat on the dirty bathroom floor as her mind spiraled. She didn't want another baby. She loved her children more than anything. Reed brought her so much joy and happiness. And even though Laurel didn't, she still loved her. Katniss was still fiercely protective of the little girl.

But she wasn't sure she could do it all again. She and Gale were just starting to get their life back in order. He was back to working full time for Haymitch, she'd just started planning things for the Everdeen Initiative, they were finally sleeping through the nights…

When Katniss returned to her house, Reed's birthday party was just starting. Their living room was full with people and Katniss busied herself with the guests. Hazelle was gushing over Prim's twins while Kurt tried to talk to Gale about gardening. Gale still didn't like the man, but he was making an effort. Meeda was talking to Anise about her son Gem, and Anise was more than happy to give advice so she didn't have to small talk. Haymitch was holding Laurel and bouncing her on his knee. Laurel was giggling madly. Rory complained to Torry about his job. Posy was setting up games for all the children to play. Reed was putting a party hat on Cooper.

Katniss's nerves finally unclenched as the warmth and happiness from the room washed over her. She heard their laughter, saw their smiles, felt their love. Katniss didn't know how she and Gale were going to handle having another child, especially now that they'd be outnumbered. But as she looked out on the room and saw all the friends and family they had in their life, she thought the odds might finally be in their favor.


	4. Chapter 4

.

October 782

(or, almost six years after the rebellion)

* * *

Katniss's third pregnancy continued almost as unnoticed as it began. She hardly displayed any symptoms – except for the increased libido, which she and Gale enthusiastically took advantage of – and Katniss could have easily forgotten she was pregnant were it not for her expanding belly.

"God, look at me," Katniss huffed.

"Happily," Gale said, pleasure rumbling in his voice. He playfully began to pull off her clothes.

"This really excites you, doesn't it?"

"Of course. I love your body."

"Even like this?"

"Especially like this," he said. He thought her body was incredible, not just how it looked, but what it did, what it was able to give him.

Her delivery came smooth and easily as well. One particularly rainy day, she called Gale and told him to meet her at the hospital.

"I can't believe you drove yourself here," he huffed worriedly.

"What? Driving is easier than walking. And plus, I had to drop the kids of at Hazelle's…"

Violet Sera Hawthorne was born the night of June 27th. She had night-black hair and dark blue eyes as if she knew her namesake.

Surprising no one, Laurel was furious about having to share her parents. She screamed more than the new baby did – like Reed, Violet was a strangely quiet child – but Laurel made up for their silence in spades. One of the first things Gale or Katniss understood her say was "no baby!" Even though everyone told Katniss that this was normal, she still found Laurel's behavior at times disconcerting. However, Laurel soon started latching on to her brother – who was more than happy to lavish attention on his sister, and this created a bond between the two of them that would last throughout their lives. It was a bond that Violet would never share. She was a fiercely autonomous creature, the exact opposite of Laurel. Where Laurel had cried when she wasn't held, Violet cried when she was, and from a very early age, both Gale and Katniss observed that she liked being on her own.

"She's an independent feller, aint she?" Haymitch appraised of the new baby on one of his visits. She'd just socked him in the nose when he'd tried to pick her up. "I wonder where she got that from?" he winked at her parents.

Gale beamed, feeling fatherly pride. He and Katniss had always been so self-sustaining and independent, he liked seeing it in their child. But Katniss was rather disheartened.

She was surprised when she realized she was a little hurt that her baby didn't want her to cuddle her, and even more surprised when she found herself grateful that Laurel continually did.

"Mommy!" Laurel squealed as Katniss scooper her up in her arms. Laurel threw her arms around her mother and buried her head in her neck.

"I've got you, baby," Katniss said, rocking her oldest daughter gently, "I've got you."

"Mommy," Laurel happily mumbled as she dozed asleep, "Mommy."

Violet just stared at them curiously from her crib.

Despite all the fears and hesitation Katniss felt about having a third child, she in many ways felt that she was happier than she'd ever been now. Things were going well for Gale at work, and the new President of Panem – Coin had lost her reelection – was immensely supportive of Haymitch's _ARENA_ education plan. Twelve had just been awarded generous grants to increase their education programs, and Katniss was excited about the great opportunity this would mean for their children.

Her own project – The Evergreen Initiative – was thriving as well. Finnick and his wife Annie started their own branch in Four that pushed for water quality, and Lux Rococo, Cinna's husband, developed biodegradable packaging that could widely replace plastic and reduce pollution.

Katniss was working on drafting a bill to get the government's support in using Lux's product when Gale came home.

"Hey, hon," she said, turning to greet him. The second she saw his face, she immediately knew something was wrong.

Her eyes frantically darted instinctively to their children. Violet was secured in her chair, and Laurel was curled up next to Reed. He had one arm protectively around her, the other was scratching Cooper's head. They all looked safe. All happy.

"What's wrong?" Her mind then rushed to her family…then to his, trying to figure out what could have happened and to whom.

"Katniss," he said. His voice sounded like it was mixed with gravel. It was dark and heavy.

"Just tell me what's wrong!"

"Katniss." He didn't know how to tell her this. "It's Haymitch…I'm sorry. He's dead." Gale reached out to grab her, but she immediately bolted out the door. She ran like the earth was falling away from her, like she needed to out run the darkness chasing her.

She fell to her knees on their front lawn. She couldn't run away. She couldn't curl up and hide, no matter how badly she wanted to. Not with her children inside. She could stop herself from spiraling, but not the sadness from hitting her.

She cried for Haymitch. He'd been almost like a father to her these past years. He came to all the kids' birthdays. To their holiday parties. He came to dinner at their house almost once a week. Her heart broke for him, but her mind when to her children. She knew she had to keep it together for their sake.

Gale sank beside her and pulled her into his arms.

"What happened?" she sobbed into his shoulder.

"I don't know yet. He didn't show up to work today, so we sent someone to his house to check…They found him…it looks like he died in his sleep." It would later be determined that he died from heart failure.

"But how…I don't understand…"

"I know," Gale comforted her.

"He hasn't had a drink in years!" Katniss spat angrily. "It's not fair, Gale! It's not fair!"

Gale just rocked her gently in his arms. He didn't know what to say to make it better. His heart ached too. He'd come to love Haymitch almost as much as she did.

. . .

Hundreds of people attended Haymitch's funeral. Katniss and her family sat solemnly in the front row as people he knew from the Games, the Rebellion, and as Mayor came to pay their respects. Gale and Reed were in the chairs next to Katniss, Violet was sat happily in her carrier on the ground and Laurel clung tightly to her chest.

Many people also spoke at Haymitch's funeral. He had no family or religion, several friends and colleagues agreed to speak. Katniss was asked if she wanted to, but she was unable.

"What am I supposed to say, Gale?" she asked him, trembling over an empty sheet of paper, "I don't know what to say. He's dead, and I don't want to say that…"

Tears began to stream down her cheeks and Gale took her in her arms. "You don't have to say anything then."

President Coin was the first to speak at his funeral. It was her first public appearance since she'd lost the election. She spoke seriously and admiringly, she talked about his great legacy and all the good he did. Katniss didn't understand a word of it. _How could there be in any good when he was gone?_ Gale tried to take their daughter from her when she began to openly sob, but Katniss wouldn't let go.

Cinna got up and spoke too. He'd come with his husband, Lux Rococo and their ever-expanding brood of children, which was now up to eight. "Haymitch was a man of a great many talents," Cinna began, "a great many of accomplishments, but the most important of which, I think, is how he somehow managed to be the most disagreeable S.O.B. I ever met and still so well-liked."

The crowd laughed and Cinna smiled as he began to tell humorous anecdotes from their past.

Katniss spun her head around, eyes like daggers, threatening to take everyone out. _How can they be laughing?_ She thought, _He's dead and there's nothing funny about it!_

Gale sensed her distress and strongly squeezed her hand, and by the end of Cinna's speech, she found herself wanting to smile too, though she wasn't quite able. _Perhaps it was best to remember the good times,_ she found herself thinking.

Plutarch also spoke. He was followed by Beetee, who'd known Haymitch perhaps longer than anyone. He was more emotional than Katniss had ever seen him before.

Two of the soldiers who'd worked with Haymitch during the rebellion in Eight also got up. They spoke how Haymitch inspired them, mentored them, saved their lives.

And then another man stepped up. Katniss's heart stopped when she realized it was Peeta.

She hadn't seen him since the Rebellion. He stayed in the Capitol after the war ended. He was charged with conspiracy to commit war crimes and put on house arrest. But not convicted. An expert legal team was able paint him as a victim. He had no choice, and even if he did, he didn't know the true treachery of Snow.

Katniss had been asked to go to the Capitol and testify in the cases against Peeta and Snow. She declined. At the time, she was newly settled in Twelve with her six-month old son. She wanted nothing to do with the past: the war, the Capitol, any of it. She just wanted to be with her son and move on.

"Not many people knew how much Haymitch Abernathy really cared," Peeta began. Katniss was surprised at how much older he looked even though she realized she shouldn't be. Seven years had passed since she last saw him. "But I did. That man cared more than any other person I've ever met, and we're all here today because of it."

Katniss shouldn't have been surprised—Peeta always knew exactly what to say, and he always said the best thing. Today was no exception. He made the crowd cry and he made them laugh, but most of all, he made every one remember what an incredible man Haymitch Abernathy was.

Peeta meant every word of what he said too. Katniss never knew it, but Haymitch was a big part of the reason he was cleared of the war crimes and the two had kept in touch since the rebellion. It was a rocky relationship, but it was one that eventually turned into a friendship.

"Haymitch Abernathy saved my life more than once. And he saved my life in more ways than one too," Peeta said, his voice suddenly dropping and becoming more serious. "There are few people more important to me that he was…is…, few people who've so deeply influenced me, mentored me, saved me," Peeta said, his eyes darting momentarily to Katniss, "and there are few people who frustrated more or gave me such a hard time." The crowd laughed again. "So it wasn't just me then," Peeta said with a nervous laugh, "that's a relief."

Katniss felt a little bad for him. Peeta and his family were still very unpopular in Twelve after what he'd said for Snow after the first Capitol attack. It took a lot of courage for him to come here.

"There are few people I'm more grateful to have met. Sleep well, old friend," Peeta said, looking down at the grave. "You deserve a good rest."

Peeta picked up a shovel and threw the first scoop of dirt on carefully as people formed a line to help bury Haymitch. Some people tossed in small mementos to rest with him. It was a custom in Twelve.

Katniss was surprised when she saw Gale toss something in—she had no idea what it was, and he never told her.

Reed followed his father up. He struggled to hold the shovel as he took his scoop full of earth, but he refused to let Gale help him. Reed understood the importance of this ritual; he was determined to do it himself. Katniss surged with pride as she watched it. _My little man,_ she thought.

The line got smaller as most people began to file out after scooping one shovelful. But Haymitch's closest friends stayed behind and took turns to finish burying him. Cinna, Beetee, Corsair, Finnick, Annie, Johanna, the soldiers, Gale, Peeta, and even Reed. They took one scoop-full of earth, tossed it in the grave, passed the shovel on, and got back in line.

Katniss just sat there, silently weeping as the line got smaller and smaller and the grave fuller and fuller.

It was Beetee who took the last shovelful. "Miss Ever-er- Mrs. Hawthorne, would you like the honor?"

Katniss started at Beetee for a moment like she didn't comprehend his words, but then slowly got up. Gale came over to her and took Laurel from her arms. Katniss shakily took the shovel and stared down at the earth. She tried to move her arms but couldn't. She felt as if filling the gravel would somehow make Haymitch's death official. As long as she didn't, there might still be some way to undo it, some way to go back.

The earth slowly splattered onto Katniss's feet as she continued staring.

"I still can't believe he's gone," she said to no one in particular. "You can't be gone!" she almost screamed, dropping the shovel and reaching into her pocket. She brought Haymitch's prize liquor bottle. She wasn't sure why, or what she should do with it. She'd thought about putting it in his grave so he'd always have it near him if he needed it. She thought about throwing it away, about drinking it entirely.

She held it heavily in her hand. The sunlight caught the amber liquid and made it burn bright. "During the Rebellion, Haymitch asked me to keep this safe for him," she said to no one in particular. "He liked to joke that it was the only thing he'd ever asked me to do that I did right."

Katniss had tried to give the bottle back to Haymitch several times after the Rebellion, but each time, he just told her to hold on to it. She'd finally asked him if he wanted her to get rid of it.

"No!" he said desperately, his eyes burning. He clearly wasn't ready for that. But he quickly recovered. "You just hold on to it, alright, sweetheart? That's some damn good stuff right there, there's no use in wasting it."

But what Haymitch really meant was that he needed to know that it was somewhere safe if he needed it. Both he and Katniss knew it. He still wasn't ready to completely let go. Not yet.

"You asked me to keep it safe for you, Haymitch," she said, tears streaming down her cheeks, "and I did. I did! And now I don't know what I'm supposed to…"

The bottle teetered in her hand, and Katniss was getting so upset she just felt like throwing it.

"Let me see that," Beetee said, taking it from her hands. He looked at her with the utmost sympathy. "This is good stuff," he lowered his glasses and examined the bottle. Beetee then uncorked it and took a whiff. "Haymitch wouldn't want to see this wasted," he said resolutely.

Beetee then put it to his lips and took a sip. "Old friend." He solemnly raised the glass and closed his eyes for a moment before passing the bottle to Katniss.

She took a large gulp and coughed before passing it along. Soon, everyone had taken a draught or two.

"Do you have any idea how much this is worth?" Plutrarch said, "wherever did Haymitch get it?"

"Oh, probably from one of his lady-admirers," Cinna said with a soft chuckle.

"What?!" Katniss had no idea what they were talking about.

"You never heard those stories?" He laughed, "back in his day, your mentor was quite the stud. He probably could have given you a run for your money, Finnick."

"No way," Finnick said, passing the bottle around again.

"Yeah, someone had the great idea to try and market him based on his sex appeal…" Cinna explained.

"Because his personality certainly wasn't winning him any favors," Beetee said with a laugh. Everyone started at him. He was starting to get drunk. "I'm sorry. That was inappropriate. I apologize."

As the bottle continued to be passed around, everyone started sharing their favorite Haymitch stories. Cinna told everyone about how Haymitch showed up to a party in the Capitol completely naked after he'd been asked to dress more revealing and provocative.

"You said you wanted revealing," he laughed at his stylists, who looked on in horror as he gyrated his hips, "oh, and I didn't forget about the provocative part neither," he said, turning to urinate on a cheese plate. "Is that provocative enough for you?" he screamed as security dragged him away."

"Damn," Johanna said, "you really did have balls." She took another big swig and raised the bottle respectfully.

Cinna and Beetee suddenly got very serious. They remembered what happened to Haymitch after he'd been dragged away. They looked at each other and decided not to say anything. Everyone was smiling and laughing then, even Katniss.

"Well, now that I've got that image in my brain," Corsair said shaking his head, "I think it's time for me to ship out."

He took one more sip from the bottle and said goodbye Haymitch and everyone else except for Johanna. A tear finally slid down her cheek for the first time that day as she watched him walk away.

The stories and drinking continued as people slowly began to leave. Annie left to go tend her and Finnick's five children. Johanna stormed off when the implications of Corsair's behavior finally hit her. Plutarch had an early train back to the Capitol. Cinna had to get back to his family. Beetee finally admitted that he was drunk, apologized, and got up to leave.

"Damn, I'd forgot all about that," Finnick said smiled and shook his head as he concluded another story. Only he, Gale, Katniss and Peeta were left. "Well, I better go help Annie put the kids to bed," he said. It was growing late and finally time to go. He turned to Gale and Katniss. "We should, eh, do a play date or something, right? Isn't that what normal people do?"

"Yeah," Katniss said. She was still smiling from his story.

Finnick hugged her and shook Gale's hand. "Peeta," he said, waving slightly as he turned to the grave and muttered something private before turning to leave.

"I should probably go check on our kids too," Gale said. They'd been sent home with Hazelle as the funeral ended.

Katniss looked up at him and nodded, and an awkward moment passed before she realized he was giving her the opportunity to leave with him if she wanted.

"I'll see you back at the house?" Gale finally said.

"Yeah." She leaned in and kissed him good bye, and then it was just her and Peeta.

They stood silent for several moments.

"I can't believe he's gone," she finally said, her sadness coming back to her.

"Yeah," Peeta agreed. He passed her the bottle and she took another deep gulp. "He had a good life though."

Katniss looked at Peeta like he was crazy.

"I mean, he was happy. At the end."

"You really think so?" Katniss needed so desperately to believe this.

"Oh, of course." Peeta spoke with such confidence. "He and I, we, um, we met a few times a year. Usually had lunch when he came to the Capitol. There was this place that served a steak he really liked," Peeta finally looked up from his feet and smiled. "Anyway, we talked. He seemed happy. He was happy."

"I didn't know you were still in contact."

"Yeah, he, uh, he helped me a lot with my case." Peeta's eyes darted back to his feet.

"Oh." Katniss had been asked to testify on Peeta's behalf as a character witness. She never responded—it wasn't exactly personal. She'd just had her baby, and what really could she have said? She didn't really know him that well.

"Anyway," Peeta brushed it off like it was nothing. "We kept in touch."

"That's good."

"Yeah. He talked about you a lot."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah," Peeta smiled. During one of their lunches, Haymitch started telling him a funny story about Reed and the dog Cooper.

Haymitch was half way through before he realized. "Well, shit, you might not want to hear this…"

"It's okay," Peeta said, even though his heart was racing and he felt flushed.

"He's even got a picture of your kids on his desk in the Capitol."

Katniss didn't know this. "Wow."

"Yeah. All three of them." Peeta took another drink. "Now that's what I can't believe…"

"What?"

"That you're a mom."

Katniss smiled. "That's not even the weird part. You know what is?"

"What?"

"That I love it."

"Why's that weird?"

"Oh," Katniss didn't realize Peeta never knew this about her. "I never wanted to have kids."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah," she said as she took another drink and passed the bottle back to him. "I was dead set against it."

"I didn't know that." He didn't know a lot about her, he realized, as he listened to her explain why she never wanted kids with the threat of the Games and began to gush about her kids, her family her life now. She was a bit too drunk now to have a filter.

"Anyway," she said, finally realizing she'd been talking for minutes and that Peeta'd hardly said a thing. "I now that I have kids, I really like them."

"I can tell," Peeta smiled.

"Yeah, they make me happy." Katniss paused. "I mean, they make me a lot of things," she said with a deep breath as she thought about Laurel's constant crying and Violet's recent habit of biting people when she wanted to be left alone. "But, they make me happy."

"That's good," Peeta finally said, trying really hard to mean it, to not sound jealous, be bitter.

"Yeah," she smiled. "Are you happy, Peeta?"

The pair stood in silence for several moment. Katniss wasn't sure why she asked him this; she wasn't sure why she cared, but as she stared at the familiar face across from her lined with incredible sadness and weighed down by such pain, she knew she still did.

"Yeah," he said after several moments of silence.

It was, of course, a lie. He wasn't happy—and he hadn't been for a very long time. But he went home that night and for the first time thought that he might actually have the chance to be.

He went back to Delly Cartwright, the girl he'd been living with for the past few years and one of the few people who'd come to testify on his behalf. He told her, a bit drunkenly, but sincerely and profusely how much she meant to him, how thankful he was to have her in his life, and how much he loved her.

This wasn't the first time Peeta told Delly he loved her, but it was the first time he purely meant it. When he told Delly he loved her that night – as he began crossing her with kisses and she excitedly began pulling off his clothes – he didn't mean _I recognize that you're a nice girl who's done a lot for me,_ or _I need you to know I don't want you to leave right now,_ or _I'm settling for this._

He meant I love you, and he realized he meant it for the first time in his life. He'd thought he'd loved Katniss, and what he'd felt for her had long been the standard by which he'd measured Delly. And as Peeta listened to Katniss talk that night, heard her talk about Gale and her kids and her life and all the things that shed cared about, he realized that this girl he'd been so certain he'd loved for so long he didn't really know at all.

Love wasn't the idea he had about Katniss or the way she made him feel or the memory of her singing. Love, Peeta finally realized, was the way Delly felt beneath his body, the certainty that she'd be there still with him in the morning. It was the way she smiled when she looked out at the sky, no matter how bad the weather. It was the simple fact that he knew that.

And now that he did, he never forgot it.

. . .

The light in Katniss's bedroom pierced her eyes and as she rolled over to shield herself from it, she felt her head crash in her skull like her brain was breaking.

"Aooouhh," she mumbled with a tongue as thick and dry as sand.

"Hey, mama," Gale said as he sat next to her, pulled her up, and gave her a glass of water.

"My head hurts," she said, gulping the water down. "Why does my head hurt?"

"Just how much did you have to drink last night?"

Katniss screwed her eyes trying to remember. Most her memories were fuzzy. "I don't know," she whined, "Maybe this much?" She held her fingers about three inches apart.

"That much, hunh?" Gale softly laughed.

Katniss nodded as she drank more water.

"You, my dear, are hungover."

"That's what this is?"

"That's what this is."

"This sucks!"

Gale chuckled lightly and took her into her arms. He could still smell the alcohol on her breath, he couldn't imagine how bad she was feeling.

"Gale," Katniss said as she nuzzled into him. "Haymitch is really dead, isn't he?"

"Yeah," he said, smoothing her hair and kissing her lightly on top of her head.

"That makes me really sad."

"I know, babe. It makes me sad too."

The pair sat in the wake of that emotion for several moments. Katniss wanted to cry, but couldn't.

When the pain in her head subsided, she finally became aware of the rest of her body and realized she needed to feed Violet.

"When's the last time Violet's eaten?" She said, her motherly concern suddenly forcing her awake. "I need to feed her."

"I fed her last night and this morning."

"And Laurel and Reed?"

Gale smiled. He wanted to joke and tell her that he'd completely forgotten about their other two kids, but he knew now wasn't the time. "Yes," he said, "all of our children are alive. They've eaten, bathed, and I'm pretty sure they've all got clothes on too."

Katniss smiled. "Well, I need to pump then," she said, trying to adjust herself in a more comfortable position. Her breast were hard and heavy.

"Alright," Gale said, and he went to get it for her.

As she waited for him alone in bed, her whole head, body, and heart hurt. She tried to process everything that'd happened, but she couldn't in her present state, and sadness over swept her and she began to tear up.

As she waited for Gale to return, Laurel toddled into her room.

"Mommy!" She dashed to the bed, desperate to be with her mother again.

"Hey, baby," Katniss said, leaning down to pick her daughter up.

"My Mommy!" Laurel's voice was the sound of pure joy.

"I've got you," Katniss said, rocking her gently.

"I miss you, Mommy!" the little girl wrapped her arms around her mother's neck and put big, sloppy kisses on her cheek.

Katniss would be lying if she said that oldest daughter's constant need for attention didn't annoy her nine times out of ten – maybe even ninety nine times out of a hundred – but there were times when there wasn't a single thing in the world she was more grateful for than that precious little girl.

* * *

AN: Hello all and a big thanks to those of you who are reviewing! I love to know what you think (esp. about some of the stuff that happened in this chapter.)

To answer Wootar's question, I read about breastfeeding being a form of birth control in some historical thing some time ago which said that's why noble women had wetnurses. They needed to pop out as many babies as soon as possible to secure lineage and stuff and peasants would breastfeed for as long as possible to keep their baby numbers down. Some cursory googling says that fertile is down when breastfeeding, but it's not a guarantee. I'll also add that I don't really know what it feels like to be breastfeeding and have not breastfed for several hours. Though I feel as if I've heard it's uncomfortable as I suggested in this chapter.

As always, thanks for reading and another chapter is coming soon :)


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Just going to be honest and say I've taken some liberties with the kids' ages and levels of maturity in the chapter. I don't really know what's realistic for them. But I think it's needed to move plot along and convey character, so I hope it's not too unrealistic.

* * *

August 790

(or, almost fifteen years after the rebellion)

((Gale's 34, Katniss's 32, Reed's 14.5, Laurel's 10 & Violet's 9))

* * *

Gale and Katniss lie in each other's naked limbs as the warm morning light flooded their room and woke them. Gale's lips instinctually began to move against his wife's body, stirring her awake and reminding her of the previous night's activities.

"Hey," she said, brushing the dark hair out of his eyes.

Gale pulled Katniss on top of him and wrapped his strong arms around her. Even though he'd been working in an office for over ten years, he was still as strong as ever. And as handsome, Katniss thought as she went to kiss him.

Katniss gasped as his hands danced across her back and he reached up to kiss her chest.

Suddenly, they heard a door slam. "MOMMY!" One of the daughters screamed.

Gale buried his face in Katniss and let out a pained groan.

"Come on," she said tugging at his hair, "you really didn't think we'd get away with this, did you?"

"A man can hope," he sighed.

Katniss laughed as she rolled off of him. "It's your turn."

"But they want you," Gale said like it was out of his hands.

Their girls' bickering was rising from the hallway. "Mommy!"

"You're the one who wanted kids."

"Yeah, but you're the one who said we had to keep them," Gale teased.

Katniss looked at him like that wasn't funny.

"Fine," he groaned as he hopped out of bed and put on his pants. "Girls," he said as he opened the door. "GIRLS! Cut it out! Now what's the problem…"

Their daughters' arguments were a common occurrence in their household. Laurel and Violet were as different as night and day. Laurel was sweet and sensitive, she cared about everyone and everything too much. She flourished when she got attention. And when she didn't…She cried. A lot.

Katniss swore her need for attention came from Gale's side of the family. He and all his siblings had always been so popular.

"Well, if the need comes from my side, her ability to get it comes from yours," Gale joked, and Katniss couldn't refute it.

A few years before, Katniss had taken both girls to the super market with her. Laurel beamed when she saw one of her teachers, and waved frantically to her. Only, her teacher didn't see her and she immediately became hysterical. Laurel started sobbing so badly that Katniss had to leave the store before she could purchase anything. Embarrassed, Katniss took her daughter to the parking lot and tried to calm her. She tried to tell Laurel that it wasn't personal and that she was sure her teacher liked her.

"But I don't understand!" Laurel wailed. It was as if her little heart was broken. "Why did she ignore me!?"

Violet watched the whole thing looking increasingly annoyed. She finally assessed, "she's not very smart, is she?"

Katniss sent Violet a scolding look, but she couldn't exactly disagree with her youngest in that moment.

Now that the girls were getting older, Katniss couldn't help but think that she should have corrected Violet in moments like that. Violet had little patience for people, and she had no reservations in telling them so. And Laurel received more of her condemnations than anyone else.

No matter what Katniss and Gale told their youngest, she seemed impervious to criticism. "Instead of telling me to be nicer, why don't you just tell her to be better?"

Katniss regretted it later, but she didn't know how to refute Violet's logic there.

She was a precocious child. She preferred to spend most of her time alone and reading. She was also fiercely independent and had a strong disdain for authority – something Gale and Katniss both liked to blame the other for when she crossed them—which was her second favorite past time after tormenting her sister.

Violet's rebellions took all sorts of forms, but at their worst, she developed the habit of leaving the house without telling anyone. She worried Gale and Katniss half to death the first time she did it, and when Gale found out she'd just wandered off on her own, with no regard to her own safety or how her parents might feel, he was furious.

"Do you have any idea how worried your mother and I were?" he'd told her once they'd established she wasn't hurt.

"I could probably guess," she admitted indifferently.

"Violet, you could have been hurt!"

"But I wasn't." His rising temper didn't faze her in the least.

"Violet, I want you to listen to me," he looked his young daughter deep in her dark blue eyes, "you're never to do that again. Do you hear?"

"I hear you," she said. But then she went out and did it again. Gale had never come so close to losing his temper with one of his children.

"Violet! We told you not to go off by yourself."

"I know."

"You said you wouldn't!"

"No, what I said was that I heard you." She was rather pleased with herself for finding that loophole.

Gale was so mad he had to leave the room. "Talk to your daughter," he told Katniss. Respect and loyalty had always been so important to Gale, and Violet's behavior was hard for him to deal with.

Katniss, one the other hand, worried Violet inherited these tendencies from her. Katniss certainly didn't obey or respect her mother growing up and would have acted similarly had her mom ever tried to control her the way she and Gale currently were. Katniss reminded herself that she and Gale were good, loving parents, and Violet had no reason to be misbehaving, so she didn't know what to make of the little girl's behavior, but it certainly made her reflect on her relationship with her mom. Katniss wondered if she would have behaved the way she did even if her mom had been incredibly doting and loving. These questions opened a new era in Katniss and her mom's relationship, and as Katniss raised her daughters, she and her mother became closer than ever.

The third time Violet left without telling anyone, she genuinely got lost. She tried to find her way back until she was too cold, tired, and hungry to keep walking. Gale and Katniss frantically searched for her, and Gale even enlisted the help of his brothers and Kurt.

When Violet heard her parents calling, she jumped up. "Mom! Dad!"

"Oh my god, baby!" Katniss screamed and out ran everyone to reach her. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"No, mom, I'm just hungry and cold and my feet hurt."

Gale wrapped his jacket around her and held her tightly to his chest as he carried her home. Violet was shocked when she realized just how nice that felt.

They called Anise over to make sure she was okay, and while she looked Violet over, Gale and Katniss tried to figure out what they were going to say to the girl. They were both so worried and angry, and they'd tried approaching her from both viewpoints before, and neither seemed to work. Violet simply did what she wanted.

They were both speechless when Violet came downstairs and apologized of her own accord.

"Mom, Dad," she said, staring at her feet. "I'm really sorry I got lost in the woods tonight."

Katniss was ready to throw her arms around the girl and tell her everything was okay, but Gale wasn't going to risk anything else bad happening to her. He saw a learning opportunity, and he took it.

"You know to never do this again, right? You understand?"

"I understand, dad," she peeped, the full brunt of his warnings finally setting in. Violet was really more ashamed that she needed help than she was sorry, but either way, the lesson was learned.

And while Violet had slowly learned to respect her parents, Laurel was another issue entirely. Sometimes Gale and Katniss talked about moving to a bigger house just so the girls wouldn't have to share a room anymore. But since they were both from the Seam and had grown up in a world where that would have never been possible, they decided the girls would just have to learn to work it out the way they'd had to.

They often regretted that decision.

"Violet!" Gale's voice rose, "I don't care what you think. If you can't be nice to your sister…"

"But it's true, dad!"

"It's not true, it's your opinion. And if you can't say something nice…"

"So you want me to lie?"

Katniss didn't catch exactly what had set the girls off this morning, but as the voices escalated, she knew she had to throw on some clothes. Sure enough, just as she'd put on her robe, Laurel came storming in, eyes and nose running.

"Mom!" she choked on her own sobs, and Katniss folded her into her arms.

"What's wrong, sweetie?"

Gale was close on Laurel's heels. "I'll take this one," he said, having lost his patients with Violet already. He pulled Laurel out of her mother's arms.

"Daddy!" she continued to sob. "I was just trying to be nice!"

"I know, sweetie."

Katniss sighed deeply. Talking to Violet never seemed to accomplish much, but she knew she had to try.

Things between the two girls got worse before they got better. When Violet started school, her teachers suggested she skip a grade. Violet was very smart and she was bored in kindergarten, her teachers observed; she also didn't fit in with the other children. Gale and Katniss suspected she wouldn't fit in with any children, and while they didn't want to hold her back, they also worried about what would happen if she and Laurel were in the same class.

"Can't I jump two grades to be ahead of her?" Violet asked when she found out. "I'm probably smart enough to…"

Despite both girls' protests, Gale and Katniss agreed to send Violet ahead a grade. The first few weeks of school were rough, but then one day, the miraculous happened. The two girls came home smiling.

That day at school one boy named Twain, who was a particular bully, teased a girl named Sam for being overweight. Violet didn't particularly care because Sam was overweight, so she sat at the base of a pine and read a book she'd taken from her brother. But as Sam began to cry, Laurel rushed over to her defense. She immediately told Twain he was being mean – much in the same way she always told Violet she was being mean – and Violet curiously marveled at her sister's strange feelings.

 _If Sam doesn't want to be made fun of for being fat,_ Violet thought, _then she should lose weight._

But Laurel couldn't bear to see another person in pain, and she wanted Twain to understand how mean he was being.

But Twain didn't care, and the bully just punched Laurel in the face. She fell over and blood gushed from her nose. Violet wasn't sure she saw anything wrong with someone telling a fat kid they were fat, but she sure as hell saw a problem with a boy hitting a girl. She didn't, incidentally, see a problem with another girl hitting that boy back.

Violet was over there in an instant and she pounded Twain until he ran away crying twice as hard as Laurel ever had. Twain was so ashamed, he didn't tell the teachers, and word quickly spread around the schoolyard about the formidable Hawthorne sisters.

The girls came home that day bonded over their shared exhilaration and proud of the way the other had worked to defeat the bully—a way in which neither of them would have done themselves.

They didn't tell their parents about what happened that day – though they would eventually learn about Violet's fighting. She got a taste for it that day and it would eventually get her in trouble and earn her the nickname 'Violent Violet.'

But Gale and Katniss observed the change in their daughters' behavior that day and they knew something had happened. They saw the scuff marks on Violet's hands and Laurel's reddened nose. Both secretly wondered if perhaps they had fought each other, but since a relative calm set in the house that day, they didn't press the issue.

. . .

"Alright," Gale said and he jogged down the stairs, "are we ready?"

Reed was the only one waiting for him down there. He was by the door, bag packed, holding Cooper on his leash.

"Yeah, Dad!" His son said, and Cooper wagged his tail.

Gale smiled at his son who didn't seem bothered at all by the fact that all the women were missing.

"Katniss, you and the girls ready?"

"Almost!" she called.

"Laurel, did you pack the toothbrushes?"

"I think so."

"Can you check?"

"Sure mom!"

"Violet, please, pick a few books to take to your grandma's."

"I did." Violet had picked her brother's math book. She showed her mother.

"Violet, you know I mean story books."

"You didn't say story books," Violet observed.

"Fine. Can you please pick out a few story books to take to your grandmother's house?"

"I don't really want to."

Katniss sighs heavily and dispensed with the _please_. "Violet, pick out some story books. You know your grandfather likes to read them to you."

Hazelle had officially married Kurt the year before. It took Gale a long time to warm up to the man, but he walked his mother down the aisle at their wedding and he was the one who asked Kurt if he wanted the kids to call him grandpa.

"Come on, girls, are you ready?"

"You might want to go and help them, Dad," Reed said plainly.

"Yeah," he huffed as he went up.

Gale and Katniss were going into the woods that weekend. They'd tried to go out a few times as a family, but their attempts were more or less disasters. Violet was overly excited about learning to use a bow and nearly shot Cooper when no one was looking. Reed - who hardly ever got upset about anything – chastised Violet so harshly she cried.

Gale and Katniss decided that only they would do the hunting then, but when Laurel realized what exactly was going on, she freaked out. "What? You can't kill it! Run, deer, RUN!" Katniss was one part annoyed and one part reminded of Prim.

So this weekend, it was just the two of them.

It'd been a long time since they'd been out. Gale'd been extraordinarily busy at work since Haymitch's death. Gale briefly considered leaving the mayoral building altogether. He was getting tired of politics. Haymitch's _ARENA_ education plan was losing steam as other districts proposed cheaper plans with what they argued were comparable results.

"But they're just looking at test scores!" Gale vented to Katniss after coming back from a particularly stressful week at the Capitol. "But those don't measure the real benefit of having strong relationships with the teachers. That's the whole mentor part! And that affects the students' happiness and chances of success." Gale threw up his hands, frustrated. "I mean, isn't that the whole point of education? Or do we really just want to know if the kids can recite their times tables…"

Katniss went over and messaged his shoulders. "I love you," she said, kissing him and supporting him in whatever he felt he needed to do. Gale decided he'd stay at least until the new mayor was sworn in.

Then Gale's old boss from the mines, Mr. Tucker, was elected in, and Gale was renewed with energy at first. Mr. Tucker had earned Gale's unquestionable respect in the mines. He did whatever he had to to take care of his men, and he'd brought that same philosophy to the Mayor's House. Gale was ready to start doing good work again.

Mr. Tucker ran his campaign on helping the working people and building the economy of Twelve. These were all things Gale supported, but he worried about the long term impacts if they weren't handled properly. And Gale no longer thought Tucker was handling them properly. Tucker was short sighted, willing to do whatever would bring them the most immediate gains. Gale's concerns were more long term stability and success.

"What the hell are you fretting about, Hawthorne?" Tucker grumbled one night.

"Sir, have you looked at the projected population charts for the next few decades?"

Tucker scoffed; the next few decades were someone else's problem.

"We'll need to upgrade the power plant soon or we're going to have real problems. And the roads can't handle the capacity they're receiving…"

Mr. Tucker didn't like hearing about these problems, but he was glad someone like Gale was around to think about these things.

"We're going to need to build new houses, another school…"

"Great!" Tucker said when Gale told him this. "Think of all the jobs that'll create."

"But, sir, Gale, if we just invest 20% more in doing that, the long term benefits…"

"You don't win reelections with long term benefits, Hawthorne. And if you don't win reelections, you can't do any good at all. So we're going to invest that 20% in something that will benefit people now."

The discussion was over. Gale understood Tucker's point, though he didn't like it. The two men were often adversaries, but they respected each other.

Tucker's administration brought several new industries into Twelve. More jobs were created and saw the quality of life jump immensely. People not only had food on the table every day and houses with power, but most had televisions and cars. Gale knew this should make him happy.

But all this advancement was not without drawbacks. A landfill needed to be built and a few miles outside the district, and forest had been cleared for it. Then, the forest near Gale and Katniss's house was shrinking as more new houses were built.

This loss hit them both deeply, and this why was they kept trying to take their children out into the woods they loved and knew so well. But this weekend, it was just the two of them. They were dropping the children off at Hazelle's and returning to their place where they'd met and became friends and fallen in love.

Because that place was scheduled to be demolished the following Monday. The meadow which contained their rock were they spent so many hours together talking and laughing and living was going to be ripped up and a solar plant was to be put in its place.

Gale came home like a criminal the day he had to tell Katniss the news, he'd tried everything he could to save it, but in the end, there was nothing he could do. Solar energy was the best option for Twelve, and the meadow was the best location for the plant.

Katniss cried when she found out and vowed to do whatever she had to do to save it. She was going to throw the full power of the Evergreen Initiative behind her.

"I won't let them do it, Gale! That's our place! That's our…" but as she ranted in their bedroom that night, she realized it wasn't their place anymore. This room was. This house was.

Her heart still broke at the idea of losing their special place, but she knew nothing could destroy the memories they'd made there or the bond they'd forged there. All their new memories were going to be made in their home, with their family, and that was what really mattered.

Gale didn't adjust with the loss as well. He liked to believe that he could protect and save everything that truly mattered to him, everything that he loved, if he fought hard enough. And he was slowly learning that wasn't true.

The fate of his and Katniss's spot was out of his hands entirely. And there was nothing in the world he could do to save it. It was a hard blow to deal with, but he did just about as well as he always had.

. . .

After dropping off the kids, they returned quietly in to the forest they knew so well. They treaded familiar paths, hardly talking, hardly needing to, taking everything in.

The passed the place they first met so many winters ago when Gale found Katniss at one of his snare lines. Gale also found one of their secret hollows, the places where they stored their weapons to hunt. Neither said anything when he pulled out some old arrows they'd left there. They were half rotten and useless—not that Gale and Katniss needed to use them anyway.

They spent the entire weekend roaming the woods. They returned to the places where they collected herbs for Katniss's mom and strawberries for the mayor. The herbs still grew freely, but the strawberry bush was long since gone.

Their blackberry bramble was still thriving, and they returned to it their final morning. Katniss smiled when she saw it. They collected pocketfuls of the fruit, and no longer able to avoid it, returned to their spot.

The summer light streamed down and hit their faces and the world before them. Katniss popped the berries into her mouth as Gale stared off into the horizon, brooding. If it weren't for their added years, this could have been one of the many other mornings they'd done just this.

"God," Katniss said, "you realize that I'm twice as old as I was the last morning we did this?"

She was referring, of course, to the morning before the Games when she was sixteen. Gale was thinking of the same morning too. Though, unlike his wife, he wasn't thinking of how much had changed since then; he was thinking of how much had stayed the same.

Their spot, the meadow, the berries, the horizon, the warmth of the sun, how happy they were together. He still sometimes wished they could live a quiet life away from it all, and that's why losing this place was so hard on him. It had for so long represented his only happiness, his only hope.

His words from that morning came flooding back to him:

… _We could do it, you know, run off, live in the woods, you and I, we could make it…_

"Do you ever wish…" he began, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.

And he didn't have to. Katniss knew exactly what he was thinking—that maybe they'd be better off living out here, away from all the bureaucracy, all the bills, the bullshit.

 _How was it that two kids who just wanted to be alone together always found themselves in the middle of so much?_

She grabbed her husband's hand and kissed it softly. "We did, Gale, we did."

He turned to look at her curiously, not quite understanding. "Did what?"

"We made it."

And she was right. That was the important part. Not that they ran off or lived in the woods. But that they made it. And they really had. Everything the world had every thrown at them, they'd survived, standing stronger and closer together.

Gale buried his head into her chest and she held him for several long moments. When he was finally ready, he came up and kissed her deeply and softly on the lips.

"Come on," she said, getting up and tugging his hand.

The sun was getting high in the sky, and the bulldozers would be there soon. As well as Katniss was dealing, she couldn't bear to watch that.

"Let's go."

And so the lovers got up and left, hand in hand, sad for their loss, but leaving nothing behind, and headed to a place that was so much better than a place where they met in secret and shared moments of happiness. They went to a place that was their everything. They went home.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: That last chapter is where the story should end. Katniss and Gale's journey has come full circle and is done. I think (hope?) all the right themes are in place, and artistically, it feels right.

But because of who I am, and how much time I've spent with these characters living in my brain, I'm going to share with you a few more insights I have about their lives.

* * *

Gale's job didn't get any easier after the solar plant was built, though he did see several more successful projects through. But he frequently complained. Katniss asked him several times if he'd like to leave, but he felt he could do the most good there, if he could just get things right.

As Panem's post-war economy slowed down, several programs he'd worked on were unfunded or left to fallow. The _ARENA_ education was replaced with traditional, educational system, and no matter how much research he did or proposals he drafted to save money and resources in the long run, the voters and elected officials continuously went with the plans that gave them the most immediate benefits.

Gale was actually considering running for Mayor, hoping that would finally allow him to set some things right, when a corruption scandal rocked Twelve's government.

One of the project managers working in the transportations department had embezzled thousands of dollars buy falsifying repairs and maintained reports and buying subpar materials. The citizens were outraged and demanded justice.

The man was arrested and charged for his crimes, but the people still wanted to know that this would never happen again, and Mr. Tucker had to ask Gale to resign. Gale didn't know the man who embezzled the money, but he oversaw a lot of the projects, and someone high up had to go.

Gale understood this, and he accepted his dismissal the same way he'd accepted his discharge from the army so many years ago. He understood this was how things worked and didn't complain, but it took something out of him, something Katniss couldn't name and he never talked about, but Gale came home smaller than she'd ever seen him that day.

Katniss was never able to get him to talk what he thought of felt about losing his job, so she just supported him in whatever he wanted to do. Gale stayed at home for a long while, happily fixing the kids breakfast and helping them with his homework. In his spare time, he went to work on his mother's house and helped Kurt with his garden. The two men eventually became great friends, and Gale loved and respected the man.

Katniss had returned to working for the Evergreen Initiative full time when the girls were settled in school. She still spoke at events and networked to try and bring as much support to helping the environment as she could. She occasionally brought her children, using her role as mother to further her cause, and Laurel fell in love with the spotlight. She couldn't believe that people wanted to dress her up, talk to her, take her picture. Laurel stole the show. Violet, on the other hand, did nothing but scowl and hated public appearances so much, her parents never made her do it again. Katniss completely understood how her youngest felt.

When Katniss returned from a week away working in Four with Annie and Finnick to pass water management, she was surprised to find Reed alone babysitting the girls.

"Hey, Mom," he said as he sat on the floor stroking Cooper.

Cooper was very old now and no longer had the energy to play. The dog had spent so long at Reed's side, Reed figured it was only natural for him to return the favor. He carried the dog up and down the stairs, in and outside. And one day, when the dog had a certain look in his eyes, Reed carried him out to their favorite spot by the woods, and sat with him all afternoon, stroking his head and scratching his ears just the way he liked as the dog licked his hand. Reed watched the sunset in the warm spring air with his best friend. When it was finally dark out, Cooper closed his eyes for the last time. Reed buried the body by himself and returned home.

Katniss learned that Gale had begun building a new house on the edge of the district next to the large track of forest that Haymitch had protected when Katniss started the Evergreen Initiative.

Gale told Katniss he just needed to do something physical again, feel like his was doing good work. It took Gale a little over the year to build the house, and she and the family moved there when he finished. Katniss loved their new house, which sat up on the mountain side a bit and overlooked the forest, but Laurel was distraught to be so far from town.

She was a teenager now and the most popular girl in her class, and she hated being so far from her friends. Reed and Violet didn't seem to mind, however, and Katniss and Gale were honestly happy out there.

Laurel's popularity brought her a string of boyfriends as she went through her teenage years, and her sensitive nature brought her a lot of heart aches. The first few times Katniss found her crying, she didn't know what to do. Nor did Gale, whose first instinct was to go talk to the young men who'd done this to his little girl.

But Laurel had a remarkability to recover from such things, and she bounced from one relationship to the next.

Her siblings, however, were more like their parents. Reed grew up to be remarkably like his father, just as strong, supportive and handsome, and Katniss and Gale couldn't have been prouder of him.

He fell in love with the girl who'd found him crying after his dog died. She asked if he was alright and hugged him. Having learned to love from his parents, he is fiercely loyal and dedicated to this girl, working as hard as he could to make her happy and support her in all her endeavors. When they finished high school, however, she broke his heart. Reed didn't talk to his parents much about it – though Laurel eventually got the story out of him – and he surprised everyone when he decided to leave Twelve and go to college in Three.

Reed needed a change and was ready to be on his own for a little while. Katniss and Laurel cried the day he left home. But he found great success out there. He became an environmental engineer, and met a young women named Olynn whom he eventually fell in love with and married. The couple moved back to Twelve and had several happy, healthy children.

Laurel studied business, and she used her interpersonal skills and compassion to do great work with charities. She started working for her mother's company, and eventually moved to the Capitol to manage the public relations as she did love being on camera so much. She met a young man from one of the Capitol's most prominent families. His name was Smit and he was a lawyer. He was taken by her beauty and impressed with her unbridled optimism and infinite ability to empathize. After knowing each other for only six months, he proposed, and the two would become one of the most influence couples in the nation. Smit eventually became a senator and Laurel would eventually take over her mother's company when Katniss was ready to retire. Laurel and Smit had three children and lived in the Capitol, though they visited home often.

As in childhood, even though going to school together brought the sisters closer together, Violet and Laurel continued to be as different as night and day. And there was no doubt which was night and which day. Violet's stormy childhood turned her into an angry and moody teenager and eventually a sad adult. No matter how hard Laurel tried to include her sister in things, Violet never seemed to fit in. She also never really wanted to. She continued to pick fights at school and got in trouble more than a few times. No matter what Gale and Katniss tried, Violet was unreceptive to her parents' advice, support, and punishments. Her fierce independence turned into stubbornness, and she seemed to ignore her parents' help just out of spite.

She didn't date like her siblings, and she threw herself into her studies, graduating a year early. Surprising both Gale and Katniss, Violet didn't leave Twelve like her siblings and stayed at home. She excelled in college and became the first female surgeon in Twelve. Violet could never admitted it, but she just couldn't bear to leave the only people who loved her and she was afraid if she went elsewhere, she wouldn't fit in either. She acted like she didn't care about anyone or anything, but the truth was that she cared very deeply. Katniss recognized this trait in her daughter because she had it herself, and even though their relationship was rocky, they became very close.

Violet married the first guy who was nice to her. She never really fell in love with him, but appreciated what he did for her. Though their relationship was never right, however, and she felt like she was constantly letting him down. They fought about having children, how much she drank, and she eventually started cheating on him. They eventually divorced. She both hated herself for it and didn't care at all.

Violet could never explain her wild behavior and got angry when people tried to ask – include at her mother and sister. But when she was thirty six, she met a man named Heron. Her family liked to joke that he changed her, but the truth was that he was just the first person around whom she finally felt like she could be herself. They married a few years later, and though in a completely different way from her siblings, Violet lived happily too.

Gale and Katniss's children, even after leaving home, often returned to holidays and family events. Prim, Torry, and their four children also visited often, and Hazelle and Anise frequently stopped by. Theirs was a happy home, filled with more joyous memories than painful ones,

Katniss and her mother's relationship improved greatly once Katniss had kids, especially her daughters. Katniss often sought her mother's advice and Anise was one of the few people who Violet seemed to like growing up. In fact, it was Anise who first introduced Violet to medicine and sparked her interest in the subject.

Both Violet and Katniss were hit hard when Anise died. She was diagnosed with a degenerative illness, but didn't tell anyone. Instead, she just went out to visit Prim and her family for a month and then came home, spent some time with Katniss and her children, and then went home and overdosed on sedatives.

Katniss hated her mother for it, seeing the act as cowardly, and Gale held her many nights as she cried and cried. But the truth was that Anise just didn't want to suffer any more. She figured she'd suffered enough for one lifetime and wanted to go out on her own terms. It took Katniss years to accept this, but she finally understood.

Gale and Katniss were a little sad when their children had all moved out, but when they realized they could now make love anywhere in their house at any time, it wasn't so bad, and they immensely enjoyed this new chapter in their lives.

Gale again found himself involved in politics when he returned to work, though this time, on the local level. He went to a town meeting regarding permit laws for the local farmer's market – his mother and Kurt had run into some issues with this.

Gale was astonished to see his towns members passionately debate and decided their own laws, and he was more amazed with the success they had. These people were making a real impact. He stated going every week and got involved in all sorts of projects and ended up serving on several committees and councils.

When Gale wasn't working, he battled the deer that came in from the forest to eat his garden, constantly trying to think up ways to keep them out or outsmart them.

"I think I've figured it out," he told her many times, excited by some new idea he had to stop the deer. "Let's see if those damn beasts can get past this to eat my corn…"

Katniss smiled every time she heard this. She'd walk up to him, take him in her arms and kiss him deeply. "I love you."

But no matter what Gale did, the deer kept finding a way to his crops. One autumn, after coming in from fighting the deer, Gale developed a cough. It got worse when winter set in, and when finally agreed to go to the doctor, he was told he had lung cancer. Gale was only sixty years old. He was otherwise healthy and strong, and he was undaunted by the diagnosis. As tears streamed down Katniss's cheeks, her strongly grabbed her hand and told her he'd beat this.

"We've fought worse things," he told her, kissing her on the forehead.

She hoped he was right.

Gale went through a rough round of chemo, but he came out clear.

"What'd I tell you, Catnip?" he said with bright eyes as the doctor's read his report. Katniss cried and kissed him.

Then, three years later, Gale got sick again. The cancer returned. He started at it steely-eyed, ready for another fight.

"Don't worry, Catnip," he told her, pressing his lips to her forehead, "we beat this before."

But this round of chemo took a lot out of Gale. He lost 50 lbs and most of his hair. When his body didn't respond, his doctors wanted to remove one of his lungs. Gale agreed.

"Hey, Catnip," he said when he came out of the surgery. He looked weak and worse than she'd ever seen him, but he smiled roughly. "I told you I wouldn't let this win…"

Gale laughed and collapsed in a fit of painful coughing. Machines started beeping and medics rushed in. When he was stabilized and Katniss was allowed to visit him, he lie unconscious in a hospital bed connected by several tubes and chords to all sorts of devices that were keeping him alive.

Katniss sat next to him, tears streaming down her cheeks, and pressed her face in his hands. "You don't have to keep fighting for me, Gale, you've fought so hard and for so long. You can rest now, if you want to, I understand."

Gale never woke up from that coma and he died two days later surrounded by his entire family.

Katniss didn't know how she'd live without Gale, and there were times when she didn't think she'd want to. He was her best friend, her life partner, her soulmate. He was the cause of all her happiness, and he'd given her everything she'd ever loved. But Gale'd given her something else, too. He'd given her a life worth living. And while a day didn't go by where Katniss didn't miss him with her entire being, she lived happily for another twelve years.

She visited her sister and children, held holidays at her house, babysat her grandchildren and saw the birth of her first greatgrandchild.

Then, on a soft summer day when the air was cool and the sun warm, Katniss went to sit on her porch to watch the beautiful forest before her. A light wind rustled through the leaves, and in the distance, she recognized a mockingjay's soulful tune.

Katniss wanted to go out for a walk, but she didn't quite have the energy this day. Instead, she recalled her many happy hours in the forest. As she drifted off, she dreamt she was out in those woods. The light was green and whole and everything was as perfect and pristine as it was in her memory. She slowly wandered, passing so many familiar places. And when she reached the meadow where she and Gale so often met, he was there waiting for her at their spot.

"Hey, Catnip," he said, turning with a bright smile and an outstretched hand. Katniss ran to him, knowing she'd never again have to let go.

. . . . .

. . .

.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how it ends.

* * *

I'll be honest and say I'm not quite in the state to edit this chapter, I just kind of threw it all down and then had to post it. I really hope this story means something to you all because it's meant a lot to me to write it. My soul just couldn't handle the way the books ended, and Gale and Katniss's relationship means so much to me. I'd love to know what you think, and if this or some other story has helped you understand or deal with their characters, relationship, ending at all. If anyone has a favorite or best everthorne ending they'd like to recommend me, I'd love to check it out! Thank you all again so much for reading.

CG


End file.
